The Million-Dollar Heart

Meanwhile, at the Linklater residence.

Arthur arrived home just as the live broadcast was winding down. Yorick, Chase, and Dante were still eagerly discussing the content in front of the computer. By the time Arthur stepped into the study, the computer had already been shut down, and all he caught was a snippet of their conversation, "That Hawthorn girl really knows how to stir the pot, going against the grain like that."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "Who are you talking about?"

Hearing him, everyone except Yorick stood up, "Arthur, you're back. We were just talking about a case Ms. Hawthorn handled."

"Vivienne?"

The name Hawthorn immediately brought her to Arthur's mind. Mentioning her, his brows furrowed, "Since when can you guys get your hands on security department cases?" "Oh no, it wasn't one of their internal cases."

Chase was quick to clarify, waving his hands, "It was about this old wrongful accusation case where a top teacher from Rivenwood High was slandered. Vivienne was fighting to clear his name today." "Arthur, you wouldn't believe the twist!"

Five years ago, Chase and Dante were with Arthur in the military, completely out of the loop with what happened outside. It was only because Yorick wanted to watch that they ended up getting hooked, minutes rolling into more minutes until the live broadcast ended, leaving them still craving for more. You have to admit, these juicy, almost soap opera-like revelations are far more gripping than the usual military fare. Yorick, stroking his beard, seemed quite satisfied with his dose of drama, "That girl Vivienne that Percival roped in, she's quite something. How she thought to bring in the guy's own daughter as a witness is beyond me."

"And that Kipling, what a pushover. Barely put up a fight before the girl had him spooked. Useless."

all along. And did you know? The person she brought in at the end, Raquel, we've met her before. We thought she was involved in their operation, but

In their line of work, bending rules for the greater good was commonplace. He didn't find anything wrong with Vivienne's actions.

or the police making the arrest, does it matter? Besides, Raquel was going to be handed over to the authorities eventually. Ms. Hawthorn was just making use of her

the feeling Vivienne had a

she possibly

who hadn't had much interaction with Vivienne but felt a strange kinship, couldn't stand to hear her badmouthed, "That girl Vivienne, she's sharp. If she was so easy to read, she

knows how

muttered under

to outright challenge Yorick. Arthur had no intention of

vel.net

Vivienne's name, aligning momentarily with Chase's perspective. However, he kept his opinions to himself, subtly glancing at his brothers and Yorick, who seemed quite fond of Vivienne, and changed the subject, "Have you guys made any progress on the tasks

all five major ancient warrior families. It won't be long before

follow him into the

Linklater emerged from the shadows, pushing Yorick's wheelchair out, muttering about Arthur's ceaseless meetings, oblivious to the importance of the

was barely keeping awake after the broadcast but perked up at Dracon's words, "He's serving the country, and you? What gives you the